holder



Jan. 24, 1956 J. B. HOLDER 2,731,789

METHOD OF FORMING NOVELTY YARN Filed March 4, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR cf/l/VFS 3 #0154 7? DECfASfD. flfCf/A R. #01051? Ao/vw/sm/am/x.

ATTORNEY Jan. 24, 1956 J. B. [HOLDER 2,731,789

METHOD OF FORMING NOVELTY YARN Filed March 4, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR I l/V55 5. H0105? 0564-34 S50 M @[CE/A A. H01 01-7? ADM/warm TR/K /Z ATTORNEY METHGD F FQRMENG NOVELTY YARN James liowrnen Holder, deceased, late of Clemson, S. C, by Deceia Ronda Holder, administratrix, Seneca, S. Q.

Appiication March 4, 1953, Serial No. 340,246

3 Claims. (Cl. 57-160) This invention relates to the formation of novelty yarn and is directed more particularly to a method of forming a yarn having spaced seeds thereon.

Seed yarn, as contemplated by this invention, is a yarn having pronounced knots or buttons at intervals therealong, being also known as knop or nub yarn. it is distinguishable from so-called slub yarn by the fact that the thick places in the yarn do not taper gradually to thin places, as in the case of slub yarn, but abruptly change from an enlarged cross-section to a normal crossseetion. Seed yarn also diifers from slub yarn in that it is generally made by twisting rather than spinning.

Heretofore, novelty yarns of the type mentioned were formed by intermittently advancing a strand of core yarn while twisting thereabout a strand of effect yarn fed at a continuous rate of speed in excess of that of the core yarn. Obviously, during those intervals While the core strand is stopped, the eiiect yarn bunches up to form a tight knot or seed. Although, to some extent, this method achi ved success in the trade, it was, nevertheless, attended by several major disadvantages. Foremost among these was the tremendous strain to which the driving mechanism of the twister frame was subjected during stopping and starting, the result being that the useful life of the gears and certain other parts was seriously curtailed and these parts had to be replaced at a much greater frequency than is necessary where the frame is operated continuously. Thus, the cost of producing this yarn was substantially increased due to down time, i. e., time lost while the broken parts were being replaced, and to the cost of the replacement parts themselves.

I have discovered that it is possible to produce a seed yarn substantially similar to that produced by the prior art by a continuous method, i. e., one in which both the core and effect strands are fed continuously but at different rates of speed, the detrimental effects of starting and stopping the strand advancing machinery being thus avoided.

The method of the instant invention will be more fully undertsood from a consideration of the following description when read in connection with drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus employed in practicing my method of forming novelty yarn;

Figure 2 is a greatly enlarged view of a short length of the novelty yarn formed in accordance with this invention, illustrating in detail one of the seeds on such yarn;

Figure 3 is a schematic view showing the first phase of the formation of a seed on the yarn;

Figure i is a view showing the second phase of the formation of a seed; and

Figure 5 is a view showing the third and final phase of seed formation.

In general, the instant method comprises positively feeding a strand of core yarn to a rotating spindle at a continuous rate of speed, positively feeding a strand of effect yarn at a rate of speed in excess of that of the core and causing said eifect strand to be introduced to said core yarn ate and entwined therearound. The point of introduction of the effect to the core yarn is spaced a short distance above the guide means to the spindle so that the effect yarn is completely wrapped around the core before they jointly enter the guide means. In addition, the effect yarn is unrestrained in the region of its introduction to the core yarn and is, thus, permitted freedom of movement up and down the core.

Turning now to a detailed description of the invention, in Figure l, the numeral 11 designates a spindle rotated by means, not shown, such spindle being of the type conventionally found on twisting machines and the like. A strand of core yarn 12 is drawn from a suitable source of supply such as a pirn 13 between a driven roll 14 and an idler roll 15, passing through guide eyes 16 and 17 and, thence, to the spindle 11. A strand of effect yarn 18 is drawn from a second source of supply 19 between the driven and idler rolls 2i) and 21, respectively, and joined with the core yarn at a point intermediate the guides i6 and 17, where it wraps or entwines around the core as the latter passes to the spindle.

Normally, one would expect the effect thread to wrap around the core in uniform coils or spirals. It is, therefore, quite surprising that when the ratio of the rate of feed of the eiiect yarn to that of the core yarn is properly selected the effect yarn oscillates up and down the core yarn in an independent movement of its own and, in so doing, forms seeds at spaced intervals on the core.

An explanation for the formation of seeds in accordance with this invention has not been completely established. it is known, however, that each seed is composed of three separate layers of yarn and that a definite sequence of events is followed in the building up of these layers. The three layers are best shown in Figure 2 and the several phases through which the yarns pass to form the layers are shown in Figures 3 to 5.

Assume that the yarns are in the position relative to each other in Figure l, i. e., the position of the effect strand merging with the core strand is depressed with respect to that portion momentarily restrained by the feed rolls 2% and 21. At this point, the eifcct strand is coiling around the core in substantially uniform coils in a manner well known in the art. The eifect strand, however, does not remain in this position but works its way up the core until the portion which is now merging with the core is elevated with respect to the portion between the feed rolls, as indicated by Figure 3. At this instant, the first phase is complete and the first layer has been formed, the yarn being in position to begin the second phase.

During the second phase, the eitect yarn suddenly drops a short distance, one-fourth to one and one-half inches, dependent upon the length of the seed being formed, coiling upon itself and, thus, depositing a second layer superposed with respect to the first. Figure 4 shows this phase compiete and the yarn in position to start the final phase.

The effect yarn remains generally in this depressed condition while the core and two layers Wound thereon are drawn downwardly by the take-up action of the rotating spindle so that a third layer is formed. This phase is shown in Figure 5. Thereafter, the effect strand spirals back up the core and the sequence is repeated.

it is to be understood, of course, that throughout the operation just described the core strand is advancing at a uniform linear rate to the rotating spindle. To facilitate a description of the phenomenon, however, it was convenient at times to proceed as though the effect strand were the only moving element A third or hinder strand may, as a subsequent step in the over-all procedure, be wound around the combined elfect and core yarns, as is well known in the art. Or, if desired, the addition of this strand may be, efiected by a separate operation. "Since the effect yarn is merely wound around the core-and not piled therewith, the seeds are shiftable relative to the core. Hence, the third strand is useful in fixing the seedsin their proper positions.

In Figure 2, a single seed as formed in accordance with this-invention isillustratedin great detail. In the formation-of this seed the effect yarn 18 was entwined around the core yarn 12 in the general direction indicated by the arrow'to the right of Figure 2. p The letter a indicates the first layer ofyarn, the letter b the second layer, and the letter the third layer. Small arrows superimposed upon the etfect yarn at the ends of the seed indicate changes in direction of the effect yarn. From this figure, the novel appearance and'formation of the seeds contemplated by this invention will be readily appreciated.

Another surprising feature of this invention is the fact that the spacing of theseeds is not uniform, as one might be led to believe from the pattern of movement which the yarns follow, but is, in fact, quite random, as will be gathered from the examples to be hereinafter more fully set forth. In addition to the randomness of spacing, the size of seeds also varies. These features are particularly advantageous for the reason that when the yarn is woven into cloth, undesirable patterning of the seeds is eliminated, the finished product being highly pleasing to the eye and possessing enhanced esthetic appeal.

The threading-up operation is performed in substantially the conventional manner. The two strands (or three, as the case may be) are joined together, inserted through the lower guide eye and fastened around the bobbin. When the bobbin is then rotated, the yarns, without further manipulation, perform in the desired fashion.

It will be appreciated that there are a number of factors which must be considered to successfully practice this invention, among these being the type or kind of yarn used as the core and effect strands, the initial condition of the yarns, the weight of the yarns, the twist inserted, and the ratio of the rate of feeds. Obviously,

these factors are capable of almost infinite variation so that it is virtually impossible to prescribe conditions which will cover any and all combinations thereof. For this reason, some experimentation may be required to estab lish a satisfactory set of conditions for any given situation.

Of these factors, the ratio of the rate of feed of the effect yarn to that of thecore yarn appears to be the most important, at least, where the other factors are limited to values normally commensurate with good practice in the art of novelty twisting. Best results have generally been obtained where the core yarn 12 is fed at a ratio of about 1 and the effect yarn 18 is over-fed at about a ratio of 1.4. The core yarn 12 may also be fed at a ratio of 1 and the efiect yarn 18 over-fed at a ratio of 2. For a particular novelty effect or peculiar combination of factors this range may be exceeded.

It also appears that this invention is more easily practiced if the twist in the effect strand is in a direction opposite to that inserted when the elfect strand is combined with the core strand. That is to say, if the twist in the etfect strand is in the Z direction, then the core and effect strand should be twisted in the 3 direction and vice versa. It is believed that this results in the creation of slack in the effect strand which assists or facilitates the formation of the seeds in the yarn.

The following nonlimitative examples may be of assistance in establishing the best conditions for a given group of factors. In these examples, yarn designations are used in the manner known in the art. For example, 30/ .5 Z indicates a strand of yarn having a weight of denier, composed of 10 filaments and twisted to onehalf turn in the 2 direction.

Example 1 Two strands of 300/50/ 2.5 S rayon are plied together to 6 'turns 8 toform'-the-core 'strand-and two strands of 900/ 144/258 rayon'are-plied 6;25'turns Z to form the eifect strand. The plied strands are then twisted together in accordance withthis-invention-to 16.5 turns Sand-at an etfect-to-core feed ratio of 1.70-1. The twisted yarn is thereafter plied 5.5 turns 2 in the conventional manner with a binder strand of 300 denier, two-ply rayon yarn, similar to the core yarn. The seeds formed are about one inch long, relatively heavyor thick in appearance, and occur at intervals of about 7.5 inches along the core.

Example II Example I was repeated, using a single strand of 900/ 144/ 2.4 Z rayon as the effect yarn. The seeds were about three-eighths inch long and spaced from about 2.5-3 inches apart.

Example III Example II was repeated, using a two-ply yarn of 20s cotton count as the core yarn. Fairly loose seeds threeeighths to one-half inch in length were formed at intervals of about 3.5-4 inches.

Example IV The conditions of Example III were unchanged, except that-the feed ratio was increased to 1.82:1. The seeds were tightly wound, of medium bulk and spaced about 5-9 inches apart.

Example V Two strands of -45s worsted count yarn plied to 16 turns 8 and two strands of 36s worsted count yarn plied to 15 turns 8 as the core and effect yarn, respectively, were processed at a-ratioof 1.821, a twist of about 24 turns Z being inserted. In a separate operation, a binder strand similar to the core yarn is plied with the combined strands to 75 turns 8. The knots were fairly small and spaced 14 inches apart.

The present invention has almost universal application insofar as the types or kinds of textile materials operable thereon are concerned. Any of the newer synthetic materials, whether in stable or continuous filamentary form, can be satisfactorily utilized, as well as the well-known natural fibers. By the judicious combination of these materialsyamalmost unlimited number of highly pleasing effects can be obtained.

Minor variations in detail in this method of manufacture will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is my intention, therefore, not to be limited by the particular examples of the yarn and the conditions prescribed in the method of making the same which I have set forth by way of specific example of my invention, but only by the claims hereto appended.

When the eifect yarn 18'is wound upwardly upon the core yarn -12, theeffect'yarn 18 is arranged at an upwardly extending angle and projects. above the bottom of the element 21, and this may cause the effect yarn to then engage that portion of the effect yarn previously wound upon the core yarn'12, so that the effect yarn 18 will then be wound downwardly in a second layer upon the core yarn 12, Figures 3 and 4. When this winding continues sufiiciently, the eifect yarn 18 will be arranged at a downwardly inclined angle with respect to the top of the element 21, Figure 5, and this may cause the effect yarn to engage the'second layer of wound effect yarn so that the effect yarn 18 is wound upwardly to form the third layer, Figure 5, and will pass off of the two layers when the etfect yarn 18 is generally horizontal with respect to the element 21, Figure 3, and will then wind the single layer above the three layers. When the eifect yarn 18 again assumes the upwardly inclined position, Figure 3, the operation is repeated. The core yarn 12 moves downwardly continuously and elfect yarn 18 is fed faster than the feed ofthe core yarn 12, as stated.

The following is claimed:

1. A method of'forminganovelty yarn having spaced elongateds'e'eds' =which' areof substantially the 'same diameter throughout substantially their entire length, comprising continuously feeding a core yarn downwardly in a longitudinal direction and twisting the strands of the core yarn so that the core yarn is rotated upon its longi- 4 tudinal axis, applying an effect yarn to the core yarn, feeding the effect yarn continuously in a longitudinal direction toward and transversely of said core yarn and at a speed in excess of the longitudinal feeding of the core yarn, holding the effect yarn against lateral movement at a point spaced from the core yarn and at a selected elevation, spirally winding in an upward direction the effect yarn upon the downwardly traveling core yarn by the rotation of the core yarn, and thereby forming a spiral first layer which is of substantially the same diameter substantially throughout its length and having its upper end arranged at an elevation above said holding point, arranging that portion of the effect yarn extending between the holding point and the first layer at an upwardly inclined angle while causing the spirally wound first layer to rotate with the core yarn, folding back the effect yarn upon the upper end of the rotating spirally wound first layer and thereby spirally winding in a downward direction the effect yarn about the first layer and continuing such spiral winding for producing a second spiral layer having substantially the same diameter throughout substantially its entire length and discontinuing such downward spiral winding of the second layer at an elevation below the holding point and thereby defining the length of the second layer, arranging that portion of the effect yarn between the holding point and the lower end of the second layer at a downwardly inclined angle, folding back the downwardly inclined portion of the effect yarn upon the lower end of the second layer while continuing the rotation of the second layer and thereby winding the effect yarn spirally about the second layer in an upward direction to form a third layer which is of substantially the same diameter throughout substantially its entire length and continuing the upward winding of the effect yarn until the upper end of the second layer is reached thereby completing the formation of the seed, and then winding the effect yarn in an upward direction about the core yarn to a point well above the third layer so that that portion of the effect yarn next to the core yarn assumes the upwardly inclined position, and then repeating the cycle of operation.

2. A method of forming a novelty yarn having spaced elongated seeds which are of substantially the same diameter throughout substantially their entire length, comprising continuously feeding a core yarn forwardly in a longitudinal direction while rotating the same upon its longitudinal axis, applying an effect yarn to the core yarn, feeding the effect yarn in a longitudinal direction toward and transversely of said core yarn and at a speed in excess of the longitudinal feeding of the core yarn, holding the effect yarn against lateral movement at a point spaced from the core yarn, spirally winding in a. rearward direction the effect yarn upon the forwardly traveling core yarn by the rotation of the core yarn and thereby forming a spiral first layer which is of substantially the same diameter substantially throughout its entire length and having its trailing end disposed upon one side of the holding point, arranging that portion of the effect yarn extending between the holding point and the trailing end of the first layer at an inclined angle While causing the spirally wound first layer to rotate with the core yarn, folding back the effect yarn upon the trailing end of the rotating spirally wound first layer and thereby spirally winding in a forward direction the effect yarn about the first layer and continuing such spiral winding for producing a second spirally wound layer having substantially the same diameter throughout substantially its entire length and discontinuing such downward spiral winding of the second layer upon the opposite side of the holding point and at a point spaced from the leading end of the first layer and thereby defining the length of the second layer, arranging that portion of the effect yarn between the holding point and the leading end of the second layer at an inclined angle, folding back the inclined portion of the effect yarn upon the leading end of the second layer while continuing the rotation of the second layer and thereby winding the effect yarn spirally about the second layer in a rearward direction to form a third layer which is of substantially the same diameter throughout substantially its entire length, and continuing the rearward winding of the effect yarn up to and beyond the trailing end of the second layer, and then repeating the cycle of operation.

3. A method of forming a novelty yarn having spaced seeds, comprising continuously feeding a core yarn forwardly in a longitudinal direction while rotating the same upon its longitudinal axis, applying an effect yarn to the core yarn, feeding the efiect yarn longitudinally toward and transversely of the core yarn, holding the effect yarn against lateral movement at a point spaced laterally from the core yarn, spirally winding in a rearward direction the effect yarn upon the forwardly traveling core yarn and thereby forming a spiral first layer, arranging the free end of the first layer upon one side of the holding point, arranging that portion of the effect yarn extending between the holding point and the free end of the first layer at an inclined angle While causing the first layer to rotate with the core yarn, folding back the effect yarn upon the free end of the first layer and thereby spirally winding in a forward direction the effect yarn about the first layer for producing a second spirally wound layer and discontinuing the forward spiral winding of the second layer upon the opposite side of the holding point and at a point spaced from the leading end of the first layer, arranging that portion of the effect yarn between the holding point and the leading end of the second layer at an inclined angle, folding back the inclined portion of the effect yarn upon the leading end of the second layer while continuing the rotation of the second layer and thereby winding the effect yarn spirally about the second layer in a rearward direction to form a third layer, and continuing the rearward winding of the effect yarn rearwardly to and beyond the trailing end of the second layer, and repeating the cycle of operation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 771,720 Damon Oct. 4, 1904 788,292 Verlenden Apr. 25, 1905 816,675 Milson Apr. 3, 1906 FOREIGN PATENTS 43,371 Netherlands May 17, 1938 57,024 Norway Sept. 14, 1936 

